Our Work

When celebrity event designer Colin Cowie was asked by Jennifer Lopez' to help produce a surprise birthday party for her husband, Latin music superstar Marc Anthony, Colin turned to Empire Entertainment to help with the entertainment for the evening. Working with very short notice and under precautions to keep the surprise concealed, Empire was challenged with the task of providing Latin music that would impress Jennifer Lopez and Marc Anthony, dance music that would rise to their standards, and production support that would impress the most A-list musicians and top music industry personnel.

Working through its extensive network of contacts in the Latin music community, Empire was able to secure the Jimmy Bosch Band / Oscar Hernandez Orchestra, who have recorded with many of Latin music's biggest stars, along with up-and-coming turntable artist DJ Cassidy, who has spun for Sean "Puffy" Coombs, Ben Affleck and Naomi Campbell among many others.

For the exclusive event, held in a private home on Long Island, Empire provided production management, concert sound system, backline as well as stage management and travel logistics. The Jimmy Bosch Band / Oscar Hernadez Orchestra got people on their feet after the surprise was revealed and DJ Cassidy kept them dancing until early the next morning when the police were called in to shut down the party. Throughout the evening other guests such as Latin Legends Johnny Pacheco & Luis Miguel, hip hop guest artist Fat Joe & The Terror Squad and Little Louie Vega also performed and Empire easily handled their needs in a seamless fashion. The live performance session ended with Mark Anthony & his Orchestra.Empire is a leading producer of high end private events around the world.

From East Hampton and St. Barts, to Gstadt and St. Tropez, Empire is the company to call.

For the sixth year running, Empire secured talent for the new model reveal show for one for of the world's largest and most successful car-manufacturers, and it was a resounding success.This year's program was held at The Arena at Mandalay Bay in Las Vegas, where Empire-partner Kaleidoscope Productions once again designed a stage and produced a show to rival the Academy Awards. Empire Entertainment outdid its efforts in past years and delivered a program of headline talent the caliber of which are rarely seen at corporate meetings.The relaxed and hilarious Ellen DeGeneres hosted the event and delighted the audience with material tailored specifically to the show. She delivered laughter consistently, whether on- or off-script. The general session featured a stunning performance by top-of-the-charts hip-hoppers, the Black Eyed Peas, which included their smash hits, "Hey Momma" and "Let's Get It Started". The Peas were backed up by the wicked moves of urban dance legends, The Rock Steady Crew.

The show also featured breath-taking, audience-interactive illusions performed by the world famous magician, David Copperfield. The piece de resistance in Mr. Copperfield's performance was a custom-designed illusion in which one of the client's soon-to-be-released vehicles vanished.The show culminated with a roof-raising concert by rock legend Rod Stewart. After taking the audience on an electrifying tour of his greatest hits – Tonight's the Night, Forever Young, Hot Legs, The First Cut is the Deepest, Some Guys Have All the Luck, the list goes on -- Stewart closed the show with a raucous version of "Maggie May", during which he kicked dozens of signed soccer balls out to the adoring audience.The day-long event also showcased a short film starring Danny Glover and actor/comedian Larry Miller, and featuring Saturday Night live stars Seth Meyers and Chris Parnell – all secured by Empire Entertainment.

When it comes to the world's largest corporate entertainment projects, world-class companies turn to Empire Entertainment.

When Huis Ten Bosch, a European style resort located in Nagasaki Japan, needed to find a great central attraction for their Autumn Festival they turned to Empire Japan to deliver contents that were unique to Europe.The client wanted to emphasize the fact that new and exciting things were happening at Huis Ten Bosch, while remaining true to the European romantic theme of the resort. It was important that the attraction generate interest from the media and result in significant PR exposure for the park. It was also important that word-of-mouth be generated from park guests themselves.To meet these challenges Empire Entertainment's Japan office identified Master Painter Kurt Wenner as the answer to Huis Ten Bosch's needs.

Working with Empire and Dentsu, Huis Ten Bosch's agency, Kurt developed ideas for two separate street paintings based on the theme of metamorphosis. He also allowed for the integration of Huis Ten Bosch's Autumn Harvest Festival into the context of the pieces. Both designs prominently featured Huis Ten Bosch's name, allowing for maximum PR and word of mouth exposure (through both PR and guest photos). Kurt's ability to combine extraordinary drawing talent with a perspective technique virtually lost in today's creative process created large scale one of a kind works that dazzled park visitors.Kurt Wenner's works utilize a Baroque era painting technique called Anamorphism. Wenner's unique and innovative use of anamorphic perspective creates unforgettable images that combine the painted surface with its surroundings into a single composition that appears 3-dimensional.Kurt's first work for Huis Ten Bosch, "The Banquet of Circe," was inspired by Homer's Odyssey. The painting features a scene where the sorceress Circe offers a bountiful harvest to the hungry companions of Ulysses, but the magical food transforms them into animals.Kurt's second work "The Triumph of Puck" was inspired by Shakespeare's A Midsummer Night's Dream, and features Puck, having transformed the farmer "Bottom" into a donkey as the sprites harvest grapes, pumpkins, chestnuts, and mushrooms in the foreground.These paintings were both executed on the floor's flat surface using Kurt's hand made pastel chalks. They represent the first street paintings Kurt has ever created in Japan, and were tremendously well received by Huis Ten Bosch, the media and the park guests.

Four television stations visited the park and filmed Kurt's work in progress, with a total of over twenty minutes of on-air coverage (ten minutes of that being a live broadcast from the park). Five newspapers also covered the event, publishing articles with images of Kurt's artwork.Huis Ten Bosch was thrilled with both the artistic and PR results of the project, and has expressed interest in inviting Kurt back to Japan in 2005 to create new works.For this event Empire identified and contracted the artist, was responsible for all production logistics associated with the performance, and performed as the on-site producer.

Empire is a leading provider of unique talent of every kind from around the world and serves as a one-stop source of talent to a variety of buyers including resorts, theme parks, fairs, festivals, casinos, colleges, and performing arts centers in addition to corporate meetings, events and trade shows.

At the 2004 National Business Travel Association convention, Empire Entertainment was again asked for the 7th year in a row by co-sponsors American Express and American Airlines to secure and manage headline entertainment and provide all of their production requirements. This year the event took place at Orlando's Epcot Center at the World Showplace Pavilion with a special, rare corporate performance by Cyndi Lauper.

From the moment she took the stage, Cyndi Lauper was electric. Her first number, a standard American ballad, featured Cyndi alone in the spotlight with just piano accompaniment. She then exploded into the audience with her own song, "Shine", exuberantly moving above the amazed concert goers from chair to chair. The crowd remained standing for the entire night while she performed her most memorable hits as well as rock standards "Walk On By" and "Stay", performed as a salsa number with her trademark bravado. She held the crowd her hand with a slow acoustic waltz version of her hit "She Bop" and brought the room to complete silence with her moving #1 hit "True Colors." True to form, her inter-song banter was charming and funny, giving the history of each song and what it meant to her. By the end of the evening it appeared Cyndi was enjoying the show as much as the audience, as they rushed the stage for her encore, "Girls Just Wanna Have Fun."Empire Entertainment was asked to not only provide and manage the talent, but to supply all aspects of the production, including sound, backline, staging, lighting and labor.

The challenge this year was not only to accomplish this at the same budget as year's past, but to deliver production at an equal level to one of the world's most prestigious entertainment venues, Walt Disney World. Empire Entertainment brought in its own trusted vendors from the sunshine state and delivered under budget, more than satisfying the needs of client and talent alike.

Dentsu and Dentsu Tec needed to produce a major press event in Tokyo for their client, a leading manufacturer of electronics products. They chose to partner with Empire Entertainment through its newly formed Asian arm to identify, book, and produce a world-class talent for their event.The press conference event was held to introduce the client's new line of flat panel LCD and Plasma televisions - most of which are high-definition. Dentsu and Dentsu Tec determined that it was important that the talent be both energetic and beautiful in order to wow the live audience. It was equally important that the act successfully demonstrate the new televisions' ability to accurately represent the brilliance of color, and also the very spirit of the performance.

Dentsu and Dentsu Tec's plan was to film the act in high-definition in advance of the actual press conference. During the press conference the pre-recorded and edited film would be shown on the new screens. As the pre-recorded sequence came to a close, a massive curtain on the side of the hall would be opened, and the actual performers would be revealed. The artists would then go on to perform a couple of numbers.For this demanding and exciting project, Empire identified the world-renowned Argentine Tango ensemble, Forever Tango, whose show is currently appearing on Broadway, as a perfect fit. The raw energy of Forever Tango's dances, coupled with the beautiful costumes and engaging live music was the ideal subject for this project.Forever Tango delivered 4 dancers and an accompanying band of five musicians(Cello, Violin, Piano, Bass and the Bandoneon) who performed in front of approximately 200 journalists at the popular Tokyo nightclub Ageha.

The event was a great success, and we at Empire are proud to share in the praise Dentsu and Dentsu Tec received from their client.For this event Empire contracted the artists, was responsible for all production logistics associated with the performance, and performed as the on-site producer.Empire Entertainment's new office in Tokyo Japan now enables Empire to better serve it's wide existing base of Japan-based clientele and also to better service the needs of our other clients throughout the world for projects in Japan and elsewhere in Asia.

When British event company Fait Accompli sought to produce a major, private event in rural Canada for one of their top clients, they partnered with Empire Entertainment to secure entertainment & production services. For this event, a North American party for a couple to be married the following week in France, Fait Accompli created an enormous series of tented spaces on a farm in Rural Canada, about 3 hours outside of Toronto. The tented areas included an arrival area, a cocktail lounge, a main dining room a performance space for local talent and family performances, and an after-party nightclub space where a performance by Pat Benatar and DJ dancing took place.

Empire worked with Fait Accompli to secure a headline entertainer that would play the hits from their generation - the 80's - Empire was able to secure Pat Benatar and Neil Giraldo to perform a concert of their greatest hits including "Hit Me With Your Best Shot," "Heart Breaker," "We Belong," "Love is a Battlefield" and "Shadows of the Night." The audience loved the performance and danced throughout. At one point, the lead guitarist and Pat Benatar's husband, Neil Giraldo, walked through the tents playing a guitar solo. Immediately after the performance, guests stepped outside the tent for a spectacular fireworks show in the farm fields and a meet & greet with Pat Benatar. For this event, Empire contracted and handled all logistics for Pat Benatar and her band and crew, provided staging, all concert & other area sound systems, all decor and stage lighting, all band gear and onsite stage management of the many performances and components of the evening. Empire also provided a video installation to loop a custom DVD of the bride & groom throughout the event. Empire also handled all cross-border equipment shipping, work permits and taxation issues relating to the performance in Canada.

Empire is a major producer of events throughout North America and the world and is a leading producer of high-end events for private individuals around the world.

When a global technology company sought an internationally known, humorous performer for an awards show, Empire turned to Saturday Night Live veteran Darrell Hammond to reprise his role as President Bill Clinton to fit the bill. Dressed in a Presidential blue suit, with makeup and hair styling provided by the SNL expert who developed the Clinton look, Hammond appeared at a podium with a Presidential seal and delivered a hilarious state-of-the-planet address that drew several references to the host company's business and industry. Shamelessly promoting his book and offering his hotel room number to the women at the convention, Hammond managed to delight the audience of approximately 2,000 technology partners from around the world.

Speaking in his well rehearsed Clinton drawl, Hammond delivered tasteful and appropriate humor that covered the Iraq war, the administration of President Bush, Al Gore, the Monica Lewinsky scandal and his wife, Hillary, dropping famous Clinton-isms like "I feel your Pain" and alluding to his love of women and fast food. The audience howled with laughter as Clinton shamelessly flirted with the women in the audience and gave him thunderous applause as he left the dais with his presidential seal. Hammond returned to the stage for two more segments in the awards show as himself, delivering solid standup material that also included some of his other well-known impressions of Jay leno, Ted Koppel, Jesse Jackson and Sean Connery.

Empire is a leading provider of comedic talent for meetings and events. Contact Empire to book 'Bill Clinton' to appear at your next meeting.

This July, The City of Rochester celebrated it's annual music festival's 10th Anniversary, "Celebrating the Spirit of Rhythm & Blues."Each year, the city has presented the Rochester MusicFest for its community and has grown its promotion into surrounding regions including Buffalo, Syracuse, Toronto and slowly into the national market. Originally conceived and still promoted by Mayor Johnson, who is a great lover and supporter of music and the arts, this festival has financially sustained itself over its history by presenting, along with some very supportive sponsors, such as Eastman Kodak, Excellus and local R&B radio station WDKX, to name a few, a world-class line-up of musical entertainment. The Rochester MusicFest draws interest for local tourism and enriches community spirit & tradition, and while doing so has grown to be the largest R&B festival in the northeast.

In recent years, artists such as Mary J. Blige, The Isley Brothers, The O'Jays, Floetry, Maze featuring Frankie Beverly and Ashanti have played this R&B festival. Prior to specializing in R&B, this annual event has been a world-class presentation of some of the best music compiled from many musical styles and genres. Artists such as Big Bad Voodoo Daddy, BR5-49, Tito Puente, The Derek Trucks Band, Chaka Khan, Little Feat, Taj Mahal, George Clinton, Ziggy Marley and Al Green among dozens of others have appeared at The Rochester MusicFest. This year, the City of Rochester issued its tri-ennial request for proposals for production services for the MusicFest. In response, NYC event marketing company Lead Dog Marketing along with Empire Entertainment and PR firm Eric Mower & Associates won the bid for this position.

Empire's role was to book all of the talent and do all related coordination, logistics, advance and oversee stage production and management, as well as manage all talent on site.The process of booking was a close relationship with the City's Commissioner of Parks & Recreation, Loretta Scott (who has headed up the festival for the Mayor since its inception) for whom Empire presented all talent ideas and availability. This collaboration really helped to bring Empire in as a strong booking partner and served to positively enhance our understanding of the audience, the intent and the mission. In many ways, booking this festival was very similar to booking a corporate event. There were some of the same parameters such as no promiscuity or profanity, a positive message etc., as this festival is a family-oriented event.

A couple of challenges that Empire had to overcome, was trying not to repeat artists, (after 10 years of presenting so many of R&B's top artists) and finding suitable new and older school R&B artists that appealed to the mature and the younger generations of R&B. Artists must also perform with live bands as no track artists, hip-hop or rap is permitted at this community event.Empire secured 14 bands for this years Rochester MusicFest including several local artists. Beginning with Friday nights 'Latin Night', regional local, merengue band La Linea opened the evening, and were followed by Puerto Rico's own local salsa legends, Puerto Rican Power Orchestra. Opening Saturday's line-up at 1PM, was local artist, 15 year-old Damaris Rivera, who performed a short but wonderful set of original songs, that included her current regional radio hit and also a beautuful tribute to Aaliyah. She set a great mood for the rest of the days line-up with a lot of local support and a soulful beginning to a weekend of R&B.Following Damaris, another local group PrimeTime Funk, kicked it up a notch with a full 45-minute set of covers of some of the best funk in the business. They also were very excited to open for one of the legends of funk The Brothers Johnson, who recently came out of the woodwork after 18 years of absenture.

As corporate event audiences grow ever younger and more internationally diverse, Empire is constantly delivering contemporary and internationally known entertainment to meet the needs of these audiences. Such was the case when Empire was called upon to deliver an internationally-recognized, high energy concert act that would appeal to an audience in their 30's and 40's, representing countries from around the world. Using its extensive relationships in the contemporary music field, Empire was able to quickly deliver Smash Mouth who perfectly fit the bill for this major event in the massive Georgia Dome for an audience of over 13,000 people. Smash Mouth absolutely rocked the crowd with a 90 minute set that included their hits like "All Star" and their cover of the Monkees "I'm a Believer" from the motion picture Shrek. They also performed high-energy covers like "Why Can't We Be Friends?" and also material by Van Halen and others. The audience crowded the stage before the concert began, danced incessantly once they took the stage and brought the band back for a thundering three song encore once they finished their set. In addition to having 13,000 people jumping up and down in sync on one song, Smash Mouth's set had this world class company's employees 'body surfing', possibly a first for a corporate event.

Production for this event consisted of a massive stage that had been converted from a meeting set used earlier in the program. Five massive video screens were used to provide image magnification and the lighting was provided by a rig of several hundred intelligent lighting fixtures. A world-class concert sound system made the band sound perfect. For this engagement Empire provided all artist contracting, management of air, room, ground transportation and hospitality logistics, coordination of all production with the client company's technical supplier, and stage management of the concert portions. Empire also provided a custom soundtrack of pre- and post-show music to get the audience into the right mood before the show and to keep them dancing once Smash Mouth left the stage.

Empire is the leading provider of contemporary musical artists for corporate events.

Commerce Bank is one of the New York Region's fastest growing banking Empires and Empire has worked with Commerce Bank for several years to produce high quality entertainment & events for their customers and event marketing initiatives. So it was natural that Commerce Bank would turn to Empire to help them throw a major outdoor event in conjunction with their sponsorship of the Long Island Classic golf tournament. For this special event, Commerce Bank wanted to draw 10,000 or more people to their branches in Long Island and create an all-American program of entertainment to highlight the weekend tournament for which the signature event would be held on July 3, the night before Independence Day.

Empire quickly identified The New York Pops featuring Skitch Henderson as the perfect American family entertainment for this event. The concert was held outdoors in the beautiful Lakeside amphitheater on a perfect July night. As the sun set, the audience enjoyed the powerful sounds of Carnegie Hall's 77 piece house orchestra under the baton of the charismatic and dynamic Skitch Henderson as they played selections from great Hollywood soundtracks in front of a giant American Flag backdrop and Commerce Bank branding. The show concluded with a rousing version of Tchaikovsky's Overture of 1812 that led right into an amazing fireworks display by the world famous Grucci Fireworks family. For this event, Empire contracted the New York Pops, handled all production logistics with the orchestra and the theater, handled transportation in busy holiday traffic to ensure an on-time performance, created an all-American soundtrack to warm up the audience and were onsite to stage manage the magical event. In the end as many as 30,000 people attended the beautiful concert event and the client was ecstatic.

Empire is a major producer of both private and public events.

When LucasFilm and 20th Century FOX, the producer and distributor, respectively, of the Star Wars series of motion pictures, sought to create an innovative press event, they turned to Empire for the execution. The event was held to help cultivate long lead press (i.e. press who are creating stories which will run several months later) for the release of the Star Wars DVD Trilogy, a special package of the first 3 Star Wars films. For this event, LucasFilm sought to create a high quality live presentation which would feature both footage of the new DVDs as well as presentations by Mark Hammell who played Luke Skywalker in the first Star Wars movie, Irvin Kirzner who directed The Empire Strikes Back and several of the special effects wizards who worked on the movies including Frank Oz, Jim Ward, Rick Dean and John Lowry.

This presentation took place in the Grand Theater of the TriBeCa Grand Hotel and was preceded by a luncheon in the Café area where guests viewed humorous compilations of media featuring Star Wars references. As a centerpiece for the program, Empire created a living room set that was a pure time warp from May 1977, when the original Star Wars motion picture was released. The living room featured an 'Infinity' mirror table, thick shag carpeting, beanbag chairs, modular plexi-glass lamps, side tables and shelving and a wide variety of authentic props including an Atari game player, Peter Frampton & Barry Manilow album covers, paperback books, 'Smiley face' cushions, Farah Fawcett posters, etc. Naturally, both the theater and the DVD demo room had to feature the highest quality of visual projection and audio installation and Empire worked with LuCasFilm, JBL and THX to install a state-of-the-art THX sound system in the event space.

For this project, Empire played a variety of roles including site selection and acquisition, coordination of guest room logistics, management of all A/V systems, decor, set-design, oversight of food & beverage and onsite management.

When the Brazilian financial services firm, CAIXA Internacional wanted to launch their United States presence with a splash, Empire was called in by Latin American producer contacts to help stage and produce an important press event & reception that would feature both high stature presence and fun entertainment. The event was held at the Bildner Center in the City University of New York building on Fifth Avenue in the shadow of the Empire State Building.The event featured an address by Brazil's President, Lula da Silva, a multi-media presentation by executives of CAIXA Internacional, and a performance by Brazilian Bossa Nova legend, Paulinho da Viola.For this event, Empire provided all production management, audio and backline, as well as stage management of the show and printing of banners.

The event was planned with only a few days of advance notice and almost all of the arrangements and coordination had to be conducted in Portuguese through translators. The event was a rousing success and was attended by more than 500 guests and members of the press. Empire is a leading producer of international events, both overseas and for international companies seeking to establish and maintain presence in New York City and the United States.

Empire is a leading producer of presentations featuring heads of State from around the world.

When FOX Broadcasting needed to make headlines with the launch of their new summer series, North Shore, they turned to Empire Entertainment to create and execute a stunning press stunt in the heart of Times Square. Given that the show is based in Hawaii, FOX sought to transform the busiest intersection in America into a Hawaiian atmosphere that featured all the best of what Hawaii has to offer. Working through various New York City agencies, Empire was able to secure Fence Island, a small traffic island between 45th & 46th Street, Broadway and Seventh Avenue, in the heart of Times Square and arguably America's busiest intersection.

Working with a small army of designers, carpenters, florists, laborers and technicians, Empire realized the client's vision of a Hawaiian paradise, creating a main stage finished and backed with bamboo, a real beach with clean play sand, towering palm trees and lush tropical floral arrangements, greenery and various props including surf boards, beach chairs, Polynesian totem polls and Tiki huts. The centerpiece of the entire production was a towering volcano prop, 15' high X 9' wide that stood high above the stage. The volcano itself was designed by Empire, and included smoke and flame special effects. Branding for the event was also provided by Empire and included custom printed show posters on vinyl that fit over standard police barricades, a full size surf board and boogie boards that were printed with the North Shore, FOX logo and tune-in information, thousands of real flower Lei's that had been made in Hawaii and flown in for the event as well as branded post cards and Pineapple cups as giveaways to pedestrians.

Added to this were teams of performers, all cast, contracted, costumed, trained and supervised by Empire. This cast included male and female surf instructors, a team of catering servers who passed out original Hawaiian punch concoctions in branded FOX cups, a street team of 8 surfer dudes & girls in branded beach attire who worked the busy sidewalks of Broadway giving out premium items and building traffic on the island, and a running crew, all attired in Hawaiian shirts. On stage, an awesome Hawaiian music & dance ensemble, The Tiny Bubble Band, consisting of guitar, ukulele, congas and bass performed while a cast of 4 hula dancers in grass skirts performed traditional dances of Hawaii. In front of the stage, actress Brooke Burns and other stars of the show appeared live on FOX's Good Day Live and gave interviews for Access Hollywood, Extra, WNYW and other media. Brooke also posed for photos with fans, gave autographs and even participated in some of the surf lessons and hula activities.

The two hour long event was free and open to the public, served more than 2,000 guests and created quite a stir in Times Square. WPLJ was the radio promotion partner and provided additional promotional support onsite as well as on air personalities who helped emcee the event and participated in the prize giveaway of a trip to Oahu, Hawaii.

Empire provided all services for this promotional event including site selection and acquisition, security, staging, sound, lighting, electrical power & distribution, stage and set design and fabrication / installation, creation of the sand beach, staffing, music and other talent, onsite coordination, stage management and liaison with all parties.The clients at FOX Broadcasting were thrilled with the event and the President of the Times Square Alliance, an organization that helps to develop and promote Times Square, called the event "One of the most creative visual commercial promotions to happen in Times Square for a long time."

Empire is a leading producer of press stunts and events designed to generate national publicity.

A major telecommunications company recently called Empire looking for a headline performer to act as the finalé to their conference in South Beach. The client wanted a concert act who could play songs that their entire audience would know, and who would get them out of their seats and on to their feet. She hoped to have someone like Billy Joel or Elton John perform, but those artists were beyond the reach of for the event budget.Fortunately, Empire knew the perfect alternative at a more reasonable cost: Michael Cavanaugh. Michael is the star of "Movin' Out", Twyla Tharp's Tony-Award winning Broadway smash-hit based on the songs of Billy Joel. Michael was hand-picked by Billy Joel to star in the show in which he performs all of the vocals and piano. When he performs for corporate events, Michael performs with "The Movin' Out Band" which frequently includes some well-known musicians who also play with Billy Joel. And at private shows, Michael is not limited to the Billy Joel songbook.

At our client's event, he performed a healthy dose of Billy's hits (opening the set with "Only The Good Die Young" and getting the crowd immediately onto the dance floor) while also mixing in a good number of other classic songs by artists including The Beatles, Elton John, Jerry Lee lewis, and others. Michael kept the attendees dancing for his entire 90-minute set and even accommodated the CEO who asked to come onstage and play bass with the band for a song.Michael is like a human jukebox and knows thousands of popular songs. He can perform hits from many genres of popular music, and would even be able to do a country music set if requested. He can also play solo at the piano or work his band into nearly any configuration for event spaces that will not allow for large-scale production set-ups.

Empire Entertainment, Inc. is a leading provider of upscale entertainment for corporate conferences and special events. We know that budgets are a primary concern and we are always able to suggest the best possible performer in any specified price range.

When FOX Broadcasting chose to premiere their new Summer Series, "The Jury," for Executive Producers Barry Levinson, Tom Fontana, James Yoshimura and Jim Finnerty in New York City, they turned to Empire to help them put on a first class event. Empire helped to create an upscale cocktail event at the 21 Club that included a red carpet area and step & repeat wall outside the Museum of Television & Radio (where the show was screened), and a themed reception in the main dining room of the 21 Club which included celebrity guests, branded items, live music, fine food & drinks and gift bags.

The 200 person event had just the right energy & buzz and attracted stars ranging from Blue Man Group (who recorded the show's theme song), Bill O'Reilly from FOX's "O'Reilly factor," Shalom Harlow, and Patrice O'Neal. Guests arrived immediately after the conclusion of the screening next door and stayed until after the bars were shut down. For this upscale event, Empire worked with FOX to provide a variety of integrated services including site selection, creative development, design & printing, menu selection (including a specialty bar with themed cocktails like "the Jury-Tini", the "Subpoena Colada" and "the Deliberation") the facilitation of bar displays and presence for liquor sponsor Belvedere Vodka, the management of security and check-in logistics, decor including branded table tops & custom linens and serving trays with miniature gavel garnishes and onsite management of the event flow. Empire also created a custom sound track for the event to fill in breaks between performances by the Todd Londagin combo. Empire worked closely with FOX Broadcasting, Vanity Fair, The 21 Club, Belvedere Vodka and other parties to ensure a smooth running event that reflected the high standards of this world class broadcaster.

Empire is a leading producer of press and product launch events for the media and other industries.

Each year, one of the world's top food & beverage companies flies its highest sales achievers and their spouses from around the world to its New York headquarters to celebrate their achievement and recognize their accomplishments. The trip includes sightseeing, business programs, a marching band salute and an evening at Ellis Island. The highlight of the annual trip is the awards dinner, typically held inside a massive tent built on the grounds of the corporate headquarters. And for the past several years, this company has consistently turned to Empire Entertainment to deliver a program of interstitial performances that reflect the company's values and break up sections of the awards presentations.

This year, Empire was charged with creating a program of entertainment that represented excellence in four of the major regions of the globe and one that could segue naturally into a night of dancing and celebration. Empire was able to utilize its vast network of contacts in the worlds of international music and dance to deliver extraordinary, colorful and impactful performances from China, Ireland, India and Africa. The first performance of a traditional Chinese Dragon dance was performed by the Ying-Tang Dance Ensemble and featured colorfully costumed dragon dancers, drummers and waving flags to kick off the evening with a traditional dragon dance. The second performance was by the remarkable World Champion Trinity Irish Dancers from Chicago who amazed the audience with their high energy, and incredible timing and precision.The Natya Dance Thrater dancers of India then performed a number that was beautiful, graceful and entertaining, attired in richly colored costumes, jewelry and body paint & makeup. The last performance by the Universal African Dance & Drum ensemble featured wild energy, acrobatic stunts, explosive energy and served as a perfect ending to this international series of performances. Their segment ended with a reprise number on stage in which they were joined by the Trinity Irish Dancers and the Natya dancers who served to get the clapping audience up and on their feet. The Eturnity Band, New York City's best R&B, Funk & Motown dance band, then laid down the drum beat that kept the audience dancing until the end of the night.

Empire Entertainment is the leading producer of international talent & performers for corporate events. We have presented acts from every region of the world.

For the 4th year in a row, Empire produced the annual client conference for one of the world's largest financial company's retirement group. For this 4 day / 3 evening long event, Empire booked and produced all entertainment and provided keynote and topical speakers including: President George H. W. Bush and Mrs. Barbara Bush, actor, comedian and political writer Ben Stein as well as 11 industry speakers and panelists.The opening evening featured world-renowned comedian / juggler and the senior Bush's favorite entertainer, Michael Davis, who thrilled the audience with his amazing juggling and hilarious humor. Michael received a standing-ovation for his performance

This year, Empire's responsibilities expanded to include all florals for the conference. Empire partnered with Tomik Productions who set up an in-house flower shop that provided all flower arrangements and linens throughout the conference for every function including two outdoor breakfasts, and lunches, the opening night cocktail reception and dinner function, the closing night cocktail reception, and an intimate breakfast with a small group of client guests and President and Mrs. Bush. Incredible custom floral arrangements were also provided for the Bush's suite, other VIP's and attendees as requested.The first morning, was a fresh and colorful citrus themed breakfast, set on the beautiful Da Vinci lawn within the hotel gardens, which featured festive citrus linens and floral displays.For that afternoon's lunch, the garden was reset with another fresh and bright theme, beautifully complimented with fresh florals and linens. These breakfast and lunch themed events were repeated the following day with the final in-house event being a cocktail reception held the last night of the conference in the conference resource center.

Empire again designed, built and installed the conference's Resource Center in which twenty one client participants / partners were provided custom-designed spaces to showcase their latest materials to the conferences 300 attendees. This space also served as a place where attendees could relax, network and check email between general sessions. Empire completely transformed a 100' X 50' ballroom space into an indoor garden, that featured Italian, English and Florida tropical themes, complete with a beautiful white email gazebo in the center of the room and an indoor fountain that enhanced the rooms ambience. These elements were complimented with a combination of various styles of outdoor garden furniture, beautiful garden-themed props, baker's racks for participants materials, computer monitors were provided as well as wireless internet connections for participants. Finally, Empire designed the General Session stage to compliment the Resource Center garden theme. The staging was then built by the client and dressed by Empire on site. The client and participants constantly complimented Empire on a job well done again this year. Many of the participants and attendees have attended this conference every year and are constantly surprised at how we conceptualize and implement a business function in a unique environment, not generally seen in the conference world.

When one of the world's largest and best-known software firms wants to dazzle its customers and business partners with a hot night in the Big Easy, it picks up the phone and calls Empire Entertainment. The client's goal was lofty: to put on a precedent-setting corporate concert, with multiple performers and a Grammy-like feel. Empire met the challenge head-on. Working closely with the client's marketing department, they arrived at a novel solution: to recreate, in concert form, last year's hit documentary, "Standing in the Shadows of Motown". The film celebrates the career of the Funk Brothers, the band that played on all of the classic Motown tracks from the early 1960s right through until the 1980s, backing the likes of Marvin Gaye, Smokey Robinson and the Temptations. Few people are aware that the Funk Brothers tallied more number one hits than Elvis, the Beatles, the Rolling Stones and the Beach Boys combined. Empire partnered the Funk Brothers with Chaka Khan, Joan Osborne (both of whom were featured in the film), Aaron Neville and Ruben Studdard.

Two days before the show, Aaron Neville was hospitalized with bronchial asthma and forced to cancel. Empire worked quickly to replace him with none other than the legendary Isley Brothers' lead singer, Ron Isley. The end result was a high-energy, all-star event that ignited the 5,000 person strong crowd. The hits kept on coming: "Ain't Too Proud to Beg"; "What's Going On"; "Signed, Sealed, Delivered"; "I Heard It Through the Grapevine"; "Ain't No Mountain High Enough"; "What Becomes of the Broken Heart?"; "My Girl" and others. After the show, an out-of-breath member of the client's top brass exclaimed, "It is not possible to put together a better corporate show!" Earlier in the week, for this same client, Empire put on yet another all-star event: a panel discussion featuring James Carville, Ben Stein, and Todd Buccholz, and moderated by Stuart Varney. The lively debate focused on the upcoming presidential election and its economic impact of the U.S. and the world.

Empire Entertainment was once again called upon to produce a music industry party for valued clients, J Records / RCA / The BMG Music Group. This time, their client was Velvet Revolver, a new band consisting of several former members of Guns 'n' Roses: including Slash and Duff and Scott Weiland The Stone Temple Pilots former front man.Called in a week prior to the event, Empire worked to create a "Moroccan-roll" themed event on the rooftop of the hot new 'meat packing district' hotel, The Hotel Gansevoort. With extremely limited electrical power onsite and challenging 'new hotel' logistical and practical problems to contend with, Empire managed to create and execute a first class event for a crowd of music celebrities and industry personnel including Clive Davis.

The event featured original decor in a Moroccan theme reminiscent of the decor at the band's studio where their debut album was recorded. Empire and it's team designed & provided decor in both interior and exterior spaces on the hotel rooftop and floating flowers and votive candles around one of Manhattan's few rooftop swimming pools. The party went late into the evening with great rock music from DJ Frank Inglesi, and celebrities and guests lounging on Moroccan furniture arrangements beneath lanterns and among flowers and planters. Empire was complimented throughout the night by the client, hotel personnel, and attendees, for doing a great job.

Empire is a leading producer of events for the entertainment industry.

When Velocity Communications recently consulted Empire Entertainment regarding a headline performer for an event in Germany, there was one act that was perfect for the audience. Velocity had explained that the attendees of the engagement were going to be 1,200 key clients, premier partners, special guests, and staff of a world-renowned technology corporation. Most of these guests were to be non-English speaking, men in their 30's - 50's. The entertainment needed to be elegant without being boring; glamorous but still exciting enough to keep the attendees' attention. And of course, the performance needed to be essentially non-verbal to suit the international audience. Empire immediately suggested the female string quartet "BOND".

Initially hailed "the Spice Girls of classical music", the four attractive women who make up the group have demonstrated that they are not all style-over-substance by composing a vibrant worldbeat sound all their own. Their debut album, "Born" (2001) showcased the band's mix of salsa, house, and European folk stylings. Combined with the performers' supermodel looks, the music helped the album sell over two and a half million copies worldwide, and led to the group performing at high-profile events like the "Pavarotti with Friends" concert in Italy, the MTV Awards in the United States and Singapore, and at the Royal Albert Hall in London, and high profile endorsements & commercial campaigns for multiple brands including Raymond Weil watches. Empire knew that the band's unique blend of sex appeal and elegant high-energy classical music made them the ideal show for the crowd.After seeing the troupe's video, Velocity Communications and the end-client agreed they were perfect. While BOND was touring Asia at the time of the event in Germany, Empire was able to secure them for the project. As can be seen in the accompanying photo, Velocity Communications transformed The Kraftzentrale in Duisburg, Germany (a former steel foundry) into a lively, dynamic banquet and concert venue. Dramatic use of lighting on flying "Hexawing" scrim and vibrant staging set the tone for a magical evening. And BOND outdid themselves as well.

As one of the clients from Velocity wrote to us after the show, "in short, the experience was the best we have ever had. BOND was fantastic. [The end client VIP's] lined up to meet them afterwards including the CEO. And yes, the male audience lined up during the entire show to take photos. They are hot, sexy and talented. Thank you so much for taking care of us and our client." Empire Entertainment is a leading presenter and producer of headline performers at special events worldwide. We have our fingers on the pulse of the best new entertainment on every continent and excel at recommending and securing the best possible entertainers for any specific audience, regardless of their nationality.

Now in its 3rd year, the TriBeCa Film Festival once again turned to Empire Entertainment to produce the festival's largest single event, the TriBeCa Family Festival. The multi-faceted street festival pulled in an estimated 300,000 visitors throughout the day and served as a focal point for the growing celebration of the revival of Lower Manhattan. Larger than previous years, this year's Family Festival offered more than 70 tents of entertainment, activities, and food and stretched across 17 city blocks. Five outdoor stages presented a diverse collection of New York-based performers and community talent.

Highlights of this year's Family Festival included an arts and crafts pavilion sponsored by American Express, a children's library and storytelling with Robin Williams and Whoopi Goldberg in the Scholastic pavilion, a baby giraffe, zebra, and leopard cub on display with South African Tourism, Club TriBeCa which featured live cabaret-style performances throughout the day, a tennis activity area created by USTA, a basketball shooting court sponsored by the Nationball Basketball Association, a life-size chess board, hundreds of street performers, face painters, kite-making, sidewalk chalk art, a public art mural, a KidzTown dedicated to children's activities and entertainment and numerous other arts and crafts tents and areas.The event also included the participation of dozens of restaurants and merchants in lower Manhattan and the spontaneous participation of schools, community groups and all manner of special interests and institutions in TriBeCa.

Empire Entertainment served as Executive Producers and managed all production and logistics elements of the entire event and coordinated all services including tenting, permitting and street closure, integration with city agencies, security, electrical power distribution, decor, staging, sound, lighting, labor, decor, bathrooms, street cleanup, video and A/V, event design and layout, stage management, etc.

Empire is a major producer of public events and is proud to be a partner of TriBeCa Productions in the TriBeCa Film Festival since it's start in 2002.

For the sixth consecutive year, Empire Entertainment produced The Elizabeth Glaser Pediatric Aids Foundation, Kids For Kids charity carnival event at New York's Industria SuperStudios in Manhattan's West Village. This year's event was underwritten by The Bandai Foundation and sponsored by The Toys R' Us Children's Fund, MTV, VH-1, Country Music Television, InStyle Magazine, JetBlue, Symrise and Mercedes-Benz Tri-State Dealers among others. The event took place in all of the photography studios of the Industria complex as well as the Diane von Furstenberg Studio and 9 large tents set up on Washington Street and West 12th Street.

More than 1,500 people attended Kids for Kids which featured a kids dance club created by MTV/VH-1/CMT, delicious foods from dozens of participating New York City restaurants brought together by Jonathan Morr, an Art Room in which artists including Chuck Close, Francesco Clemente and Jeff Koons worked with children to create original paintings and sculptures, a street carnival where children played games with celebrities like Julianne Moore, James Gandolfini and Brooke Shields, a JetBlue flight simulator activity, video karaoke, a toy redemption area donated by Toys R' Us, a fragrance laboratory created by Symrise, a storytelling room sponsored by TARGET and a kids yoga room designed by Béyul and staffed by yoga instructors from Karma Kids. The afternoon event also featured several performances on a main stage including Kid Pop, Big Truck Music, The Power Rangers and a headline concert by Maverick recording artist Ben Jelen.

Empire Entertainment managed and coordinated most aspects of the four hour long event including the tenting, security, staging, labor, cleaning crews, emergency medical service standby, and signage. Decor for the event was provided by Robert Isabell.Kids for Kids 2004 was a tremendous success for all involved and helped to raise $1.3 million in funds to support critical pediatric AIDS programs.

Empire is a key producer of high-end, not-for-profit events and a strategic partner to businesses looking to create event-marketing opportunities in collaboration with charitable causes.

When one of the world's largest restaurant companies sought to present a very special, yet informal and fun party on the eve of the Kentucky Derby in Louisville, KY, they called Empire Entertainment to deliver the right entertainment. Working with this client, Empire was able to secure The Blues Brothers, featuring Dan Aykroyd and Jim Belushi along with the Sacred Hearts Band to perform a no-holds-barred concert of Blues Brothers hits including "Kady," "Sweet Home Chicago," "Going Back to Miami," "Rubber Biscuit" and "Soul Man." Dan and Jim wore their full Blues Brothers costumes of black suits & ties, Ray Ban sunglasses and black hats and performed with all of the stage choreography seen in the original motion picture featuring Dan Aykroyd and the late John Belushi.

The event took place in a large, tented site on the grounds of a magnificent private home in Louisville. The band performed on a stage set based on a "House of Blues" theme and delighted the audience members, who came from around the world, and began dancing almost immediately after the music began. Dan and Jim agreed to pose for meet & greets with 160 guests and customized many of their between song comments to the audience and the host, even inviting the host's daughter and her friends onstage to dance with the band. Following the Blues Brothers' performance, a surprise country & western superstar took the stage and performed several songs before Nashville-based dance band The Kadillacs played dance music for the remainder of the evening.

For this project Empire was responsible for negotiating for and contracting the Blues Brothers, handling all logistics including travel, hotels, ground transportation and hospitality and coordinating production with a top Louisville staging & production vendor. Empire also stage-managed the entire evening's activities.

Empire is a leading producer of major concert events and is regularly called upon to create unique events surrounding major sporting events such as the Kentucky Derby, The Superbowl, Indianapolis 500, World Cup Soccer, and The Olympic Games.

When one of Empire's magazine clients sought to present a special value-added event for one of their top advertisers, they turned to Empire Entertainment to help them present one of today's hottest musical stars at the historic Paramount Theatre. Empire worked with the client to secure the rapidly rising and extraordinarily talented Warner Brothers Recording artist, Jewel, to perform a solo headline concert that included her hit songs "Who Will Save Your Soul" and "You Were Meant For Me" as well as a variety of songs in styles ranging from blues and country to folk and ballads. Her performance to a nearly packed house revealed not just her great musical talent but also her knack for humorous story telling and interactive rapport with her audiences. Her 90-minute-long performance included a guitar and harmonica duo with her brother Atz, who lives in Seattle, and won a standing ovation and encore from the audience, all of which were the retailer's shoppers.

For this performance Empire negotiated all contract terms including promotional rights for both parties, handled all logistics and production arrangements, managed all aspects of the live performance, and helped to get Jewel styled for the performance with some exceptional clothing from the retailer. Empire was successful in negotiating an excellent deal for Jewel to perform by combining incentives that included a national advertising page to offset hard dollar costs.The show was an incredible success that thrilled Jewel's fans, increased customer loyalty for the retailer and provided a unique and fitting way for the magazine to thank it's advertiser as well as reinforce its presence in the Seattle Market.

Empire is a major producer of event marketing programs and the leading producer of contemporary music for corporate marketing events.

Live Lab is a "Creative Solutions Provider" joint venture created by Choreographer Tee Scatuorchio, Musical Director Mike Levesque and Empire Entertainment. Live Lab designs original productions for trade shows, business meetings and other forms of event marketing initiatives. Live Lab productions are exclusively represented by Industrial Artist Management. Live Lab's most recent show for Panasonic at the CeBit International Trade show in Germany, demonstrated once again it's range and versatility. Working with the vibrant message of Panasonic's sponsorship of the 2004 Olympic games, Live Lab assembled an all-star cast of marching drummers, trumpet players and Ribbon Gymnast dancers from such Broadway hits as, "Movin' Out" and "Cabaret" to create an original stage show that served as a framework for presenting Panasonic's business messages. The show drew some of the biggest crowds at this year's CeBit electronics trade show and was wildly successful. Live Lab's show for Panasonic at the IFA show in Berlin, Germany in September 2003 featured Beat Box and Hip - Hop worked into a Formula One Racing Pit theme. Live Lab is expert is crafting shows that not only provide great entertainment but entertainment that delivers content in a smart and seamless production. Whether it's a show lasting only 3 minutes or a half hour, Live Lab conceptualizes, directs, choreographs, composes music, casts, costumes, and above all, produces quality shows based on years on extensive experience. Live labs recent and upcoming shows include productions for Choice Hotels, Carlson Worldwide, Nick At Nite's Upfront Show, Gerber Foods, Panasonic IFA, Panasonic CES, Merck's Zocor & Singular Launches, Arthur Ashes Kids Day/CBS TV and others. When You Want shows that Include: Beat Poets, Beat Box, Ribbon Gymnasts, Tap, Hip Hop, Acrobatics, Percussion, Vocalists, Broadway Style Song and Dance and other emerging forms of performance, call Live Lab!

When the top figures in the Entertainment Industries want to throw a blowout party, they turn to unrivaled event designer Colin Cowie to design an unforgettable room and wonderfully conceived party. But when Colin Cowie needs to realize his fanciful visions, he relies upon Empire Entertainment to provide the backbone of his entertainment, technical production and talent wrangling team. Such was the case last week when television superstar Oprah Winfrey decided to throw a surprise 71st birthday party for music industry legend Quincy Jones. For this ultra exclusive event for 250 at the Beverly Hills Hotel, Colin Cowie transformed the Rodeo Ballroom into a multi-leveled vision of brown, black and purple floral arrangements. In front of a reflective black dance floor was a 40' X 28' stage upon which some of the top names in music would perform. The foyer and outside patio were similarly designed and featured an assortment of dessert stations, bars, cigar lounge areas and everywhere were vertically hung plasma monitors running a montage of a special Q71 logo that Empire created for the evening which was also reflected on custom match boxes, and napkins.

Quincy Jones was completely surprised when he arrived to find 250 of his closest friends crouching in the darkness. As soon as they yelled surprise! the DJ kicked in the music and the party started swinging. The guest list was a who's who of Hollywood and music royalty. Everyone from Barbra Streisand, Eddie Murphy, Jon Travolta and Elton John to George Lucas, Billy Crystal and Stevie Wonder crowded the dance floor. Oprah Winfrey hosted the evening and played several touching video tributes to Quincy as well as presenting an enormous chocolate piano that had been flown in earlier in the day.Guests listened to the enchanting Diana Krall perform a mellow set of music during a buffet dinner that included Joe's Stone Crab flown in from Miami and barbecued ribs fresh from Texas. After dinner Earth, Wind & Fire took the stage and brought the entire audience onto the dance floor for hits that included "Boogie Wonderland," "Sing a Song," "Let's Groove," and "Shining Star." After Earth, Wind & Fire's set ended Verdine White and others joined the rest of the guests on the dance floor as DJ Tom Finn kept people dancing until late into the night. Later in the evening, Stevie Wonder took the stage with keyboardist Greg Phillinganes for a couple of impromptu songs and sung to a beaming Quincy Jones.

For this demanding project, Empire consulted on all talent negotiations, integrated the competing needs of the various acts to work within a very small space and brought in world class sound, labor, video projection and other technical services, handled all logistical and dressing room arrangements and managed the flow of the evening with Empire co-President, J. B. Miller, personally calling the cues from the dance floor.

Empire is the leading provider of talent booking and technical services for diamond class events worldwide.